Apparatus for making ornamental bows



June 24, 1969 APPARATUS Filed Aug. 23, 1967 :21: BICKNER FOR MAKING ORNAMENTAL BOWS Sheet of 2 III INVENTOR. l CLARENCE TI BICKNER ATTORNEYS June 24, 1969 c. T. BICKNER 3,451,599

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ORNAMENTAL BOWS Filed Aug. 23, 1967 Sheet 3 of 2 FIE-IE1 INVENTOR.

CLARENCE 1t BICKNER Cwu f Id/M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,451,599 APPARATUS FOR MAKING ORNAMENTAL BOWS Clarence T. Bickner, 957 Manor Road, El Sobrante, Calif. 94803 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 505,589, Oct. 21, 1965. This application Aug. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 662,813

Int. Cl. A41h 43/00 U.S. Cl. 223-46 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A unitary bow pin holder for use in making ornamental bows, which holder includes means for detachably holding a bow pin with its spike projecting outwardly. The holder also includes means for releasably attaching the same to the face of a supporting member. The releasable attaching means comprises a magnet which is releasably attached by magnetic attraction to a supporting member of magnetic material. The supporting member may comprise the end of a can of any desired shape. In addition, a cap of non-magnetic material may be used at the can end for positioning the magnet therein. If desired, a hole may be formed in the cap through which the magnet extends in cooperating relationship for accurately positioning the bow pin holder at the can end. Also, indicia may be provided on the can end or on the cap to guide a person in forming a bow.

This is a continuation-in-part of my copending patent application entitled Apparatus and Method for Making Ornamental Bows, filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser No. 505,589, now Patent No. 3,411,677.

Ornamental bows are often used for decorating purposes such as for the decoration of gift packages and the like. Although bows may be made by hand without the use of a bow making apparatus, such bows are often unattractive because of the non-uniformity or non-symmetry of shape. Apparatus for making bows is known but such apparatus is generally relatively complicated in construction and/or in use, and often is limited to producing only a few different shapes, sizes and designs of bows.

An object of this invention is the provision of bow making apparatus by means of which an almost infinite number of sizes, shapes, and designs of bows may be made.

An object of this invention is the provision of a bow pin holder which is readily detachably secured to different supporting members of desired size and shape for making ornamental bows of a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

An object of this invention is the provision of a bow making apparatus which includes a container for the storage of how making supplies.

An object of this invention is the provision of a bow making apparatus which includes physical guide means to enable blind individuals to readily form decorative bows.

The bow making apparatus of this invention comprises a bow pin holder which is releasably attached to the face of a supporting member. The supporting member is formed of magnetic material, and the bow pin holder is releasably secured thereto by use of a magnet secured to the holder. Any suitable magnetic supporting member may be used, including a can whereby the edge of the can and/or the pattern of ribs or rings formed on the end of the can to which the pin holder is magnetically secured serve as a guide in forming the bow. Cans of any shape such as circular, square, oval and the like may be used for forming bows of diiferent design. To position the pin holder at the center of the supporting member, a cap of non-magnetic material may be used at the can end, which cap may be formed with a centrally located hole through which the magnet extends. Alternatively, if the cap is formed without a hole therethrough, the magnet may be supported by the cap and maintained in position thereon by magnetic attraction with the supporting member.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts in the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a bow pin holder embodying this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the bow pin holder taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the bow pin holder attached to the end of a can, and showing a step in forming a bow with the apparatus of this invention;

FIGURE 4 is a view which is similar to that of FIG- URE 3 but showing the bow pin holder secured to an oval-shaped can;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a form of this invention which includes a cap at the end of the can and formed with a hole therein for the reception of the magnetic bow pin holder;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along 6-6 of FIGURE 5 but showing the bow pin holder attached to the can end;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view which is similar to that of FIGURE 6 but showing another modified form of this invention in which the bow pin holder is supported on the cap; and

FIGURE 8 is a view which is similar to that of FIG- URE 6 showing yet another modified form of this invention.

Reference is first made to FIGURES 1 and 2 wherein the novel bow pin holder, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, is shown comprising a flat plate 12 of relatively rigid material such as plastic, metal, cardboard, or the like. A second plate 14 of relatively flexible material is fastened to the plate 12 in such a manner as to form a pocket 16 therebetween for the reception of a bow pin 18, shown in broken lines in FIGURES 1 and 2. Bow pins are well known and comprise an elongated shank or spike 20 formed with a pointed barb 22 at one end and a radically extending flange or base 24 at the other end.

An elongated slot 26 is formed in the upper plate 14 of the bow pin holder, which slot extends from the edge of the plate and terminates adjacent the center thereof. The upper plate 14 is secured by cementing, heat sealing, or other suitable means not shown, along a major portion of the periphery thereof as indicated at 28 in FIG- URE 1. A segment adjacent the outer end of the slot 26 is left open to permit insertion of the bow pin flange into the pocket and the subsequent removal therefrom upon completion of the bow. The bow pin is detachably held by the holder with its spike extending outwardly by simply sliding the shank of the pin through the slot 26 to the inner end thereof at substantially the axis of the holder.

In accordance with this invention the bow pin holder is provided with a releasable securing means such as the magnet 29 (see FIGURE 2) which is attached to the lower, or bottom, face of the flat plate 12 as by cement, or other suitable means not shown. Any suitable magnet configuration may be used, and in FIGURE 2 an annular-shaped magnet is shown. Also, the magnet may be formed with any suitable configuration of magnetic poles,

3 and of any suitable material. When the bow pin holder is used in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3, as described below, a relatively thin magnet is used to closely position the holder adjacent the supporting surface.

To form a bow with the novel bow pin holder, the holder is attached to a suitable supporting member of magnetic material. One such suitable supporting member, shown in FIGURE 3, comprises a can 30. The illustrated can includes a generally cylindrical shaped can body 32 closed at one end by a can end 34. Can ends are commonly formed with one or more concentric rings or annular ribs 36, and a flat central portion 38 of circular configuration. The bow pin holder is detachably secured to the can end 34 by magnetic attraction of the magnet 29 with the flat central portion 38.

With the bow pin holder 10 detachably secured to the can end 34 and with a bow pin 18 detacha'bly held by the holder, the apparatus is ready for forming a bow. Briefly, a bow is formed by im-paling one end of a ribbon 40 on said bow pin 18, forming a loop 42 with a length of ribbon 40 on said how pin 18, forming a loop 42 with a length of ribbon extending from the impaled end of the ribbon, and securing such loop against the end 34 by imp'aling the ribbon on the pin. The can 30 is then rotated to a position convenient for similarly forming the next loop (not shown) of the bow, and the next loop is formed in a manner similar to the formation of the first loop. The formation of loops is continued until the desired bow has been formed. A more detailed description of the bow-forming method is contained in my above-mentioned copending patent application Ser. No. 505,589.

The concentric rings 36 on the can end 34 and the edge or rim of the can end function as a guide for making loops of uniform size. Obviously, loops and consequently bows of different size may be formed. In FIGURE 3 the loop 42 is shown formed of a size to extend to substantially the outer concentric ring 36. Smaller bows may be formed by utilizing the inner concentric rings 36 as a guide, and a larger bow may be formed by utilizing the rim of the can end as a guide. Obviously, a single bow may be formed with different size loops, if desired.

With the bow pin 18 in close proximity to the surface of the can end 34, the loops engage the can end. The loops tend to remain where formed on the can end because of the natural resiliency of the ribbon and the placing of the loops in compression between the barb 22 and the can end. With this arrangement there is no need for pegs or posts surrounding the bow pin upon which to form the loops.

To facilitate identification of the annular rings 36 during use of the apparatus the rings may be labeled as by the use of letters A through C, as shown. Also, concentric lines 44 may be painted, printed or otherwise suitably formed on the can end, if desired, for easier identification of the concentric rings, or to add guide rings When the can end is formed with no ribs or with an insufficient number of ribs. Also, radially extending lines 46 may be printed, painted or otherwise suitably formed on the can end to further guide the operator in the formation of the loops of the bow.

Obviously, the magnetic bow pin holder 10 may be attached to the ends of cans of different size to form. different size bows. Also, the holder may be attached to cans of different shape, such as square, rectangular, oval, elliptical, and the like for the formation of different shaped bows. In FIGURE 4 of the drawings to which reference is now made, a can 30A of oval or elliptical shape is shown for the formation of a generally ovalshaped bow. In the illustrated arrangement, the edge of the can serves as a guide in forming loops of different size. For purposes of illustration fragmentary portions of two diiferent-size loops 42A and 42B are shown, both of which extend to substantially the rim of the can. It will here be understood that by using the rim of the can (of any suitable shape) as a guide, persons who are blind 4 may readily form bows with the apparatus of this invention.

It will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in FIGURES 5 and 6 of the drawings there is shown an apparatus which is similar to that shown in FIGURE 3 and described above, but which apparatus includes a cap 50 at the closed end of the container 30. The cap is formed with a downwardly extending rim 52 for removably securing the same to the can, and a central aperture 54 is formed in the cap through which the magnet 29 is adapted to extend. The cap with the hole therethrough serves to centrally position the bow pin holder 10 at the can end, and is prefer ably made of a non-magnetic material such as plastic. Also, the bottom of the plate 12 which extends outwardly from the edge of the magnet preferably abuts the top of the cap 50 adjacent the aperture 54 thereon when the magnet 29 engages the end 34 of the can to position the bow pin in the holder closely adjacent the upper surface of the cap. If the cap is made of a transparent material, rings of painted circles and radial lines, not shown, formed on the can end may be viewed through the cap. Alternatively, concentric circles 44A and radial lines 46A may be formed on the cap to guide the operator. By placing the can on a fiat surface the apparatus is in condition for the formation of a bow in the manner described above.

Also, as seen in FIGURES 5 and 6, the opposite, lower end of the can body 32 may be closed by a removable cover 55, and the can 30 used for the storage of a ribbon roll 56, bow pins 18, and other equipment, not shown, used in making bows.

Referring now to FIGURE 7, another embodiment of the invention is shown which is similar to that shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 except a cap 60 which is not formed with a central aperture is used instead of the cap 50. The end of the cap 60 is dish-shaped and includes a fiat central portion 62 and upwardly inclined outer portion 64. The flat portion 62 of the cap abuts the flat central portion 38 of the can, and the magnet 29 on the bow pin holder is centrally positioned on the fiat cap section 62. The cap 60 is preferably formed of relatively thin, nonmagnetic material for magnetic attraction of the magnet with the can end through the plastic cap. Concentric circles and/or radial lines, not shown, may be included on the can end if the cap 60 is transparent, or on the cap 60 if it is not transparent, in the manner described above.

Another modification of the invention is shown in FIGURE 8 to which figure reference now is made. There, a can 30 is shown with a removable cap 70 comprising an end portion 72 and downwardly extending rim 74 for engagement with the open end of the can. A central aperture 76 is formed in the cap into which the magnet 29 of the bow pin holder 10 is adapted to extend. The inside of the cap end is provided with a plate 78 of magnetic material which is attached as by cementing or other suitable means, not shown, to the cap to close the aperture 76. The magnet 29 is centrally positioned by the aperture 76, and is removably magnetically secured to the magnetic member 78 on the cap. The cap may be provided with concentric and/or generally radial guide lines, such as shown in FIGURE 5, for guiding the operator in forming a bow in the manner described above. The can 30 may be used for the storage of bow-making supplies in the manner shown in FIGURE 6. With this arrangement, the cap may be formed of non-magnetic material, such as plastic, having a magnetic plate at the center thereof for use with a magnetic bow holder.

Other changes and modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in this art. For example, the cap 60 in FIGURE 7 may be formed of magnetic material rather than non-magnetic material, whereby the magnet 29 is attracted directly thereto. Such a cap of magnetic material may be used in place of the can end 34 to close the end of the can. In this case, the other end of the can may comprise the closed can end. Also, if a magnet without the central hole therein is used, or if the hole is of sufiiciently small diameter, the plate 12 may be deleted from the bow pin holder, and the plate 14 attached directly to the magnet.

I claim:

1. A bow making device of the character described comprising:

a magnet formed with opposite faces,

means at one face of the magnet for detachably holding a bow pin having a widened base portion and a spike portion projecting upwardly from the base portion, the base portion of a bow pin detachably held by said holding means being adjacent said magnet and said spike portion projecting away from said magnet,

a can comprising a can body and can end of magnetic material to which the magnet is releasably magnetically secured,

a cap secured to the can over the can end and formed with means at the center thereof for centrally posi tioning the magnet at the can end.

2. The bow making device as defined in claim 1 wherein the cap is formed of opaque material having a plurality of concentric visible guide circles thereon to guide a person in forming a bow.

3. The bow making device as defined in claim 1 wherein the cap is formed with a central aperture wherein through which the magnet extends.

4. The bow making device as defined in claim 1 wherein the cap is made of non-magnetic material, and said magnet engages the cap and is maintained in position thereon by magnetic attraction to the can end through the cap.

5. A bow making device of the character described comprising:

a magnetic formed with opposite faces,

means at one face of the magnet for detachably holding a bow pin having a widened base portion and a spike portion projecting upwardly from the base portion, the base portion of a bow pin detachably held by said holding means being adjacent said magnet and said spike portion projecting away from said magnet,

a cap of non-magnetic material,

means for removably attaching said cap to a can, said cap being formed with a central aperture therein of a size to receive said magnet,

a magnetic member inside the cap at the aperture formed therein,

said magnet being releasably magnetically secured to the magnetic member inside the cap with at least a portion of the magnet extending into the central aperture in the cap for positioning the magnet at the cap end.

6-. The bow making device as defined in claim 5 including:

a can comprising a can body closed a one end and open at the opposite end,

said cap being removably attached to the open end of the can.

7. A bow making device of the character described comprising:

a can comprising a can body having opposite ends,

a cap removably attached to the can at one end thereof,

bow pin holding means centrally located on the cap for detachably holding a bow pin having a widened base portion and a spike portion projecting upwardly from the base portion, the spike portion of a bow pin detachably held by said bow pin holding means projecting upwardly from the removable cap,

said cap being formed of transparent plastic material and said can being formed with at least one can end closing one end of said can body over which can end the cap is positioned, said can end being formed with at least one ring visible through the transparent cap to guide a person in forming a bow.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,217,514 10/1940 Henry -13 2,991,789 7/1961 Smith et al.

2,712,191 7/1955 Hillenbrand 24201.2 X 3,029,824 4/ 1962 Goodell.

3,009,225 11/ 1961 Budreck 24-2012 3,214,070 10/1965 Twigg 22346 3,171,176 3/1965 Shirley 24201.2 X 3,044,670 7/1962 Barefoot 22346 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

